Development of a reliable test to support and validate a numerical model of progressive damage for composite materials

This paper presents a comparison between the two main philosophies that can be identified in literature to perform a coupon-size test for the determination of energy absorption of composite materials under a compression load. The study led to a new concept of corrugated specimen, easier to produce than the ones proposed in literature, and in a procedure that is not influenced by any external parameter like a complex fixture or the test operator's skills. The results of the tests are used to validate a numerical model of progressive damage for composite materials.